Film Roar

Amores Perros (2000)

Dark and beautiful, Amores Perros is both moving and disturbing. Reminiscent of Pulp Fiction in form and mood, Amores jumps in time and space through three disparate plot lines. The movie is beautifully lit and shot giving a strange air of enchantment to the stories of personal pain and misery.

Amores Perros is not a movie for the light of heart or queasy stomach. The movie is filled with violence and foul language. It opens with two young men racing a car through the streets, swearing a storm as a dog dies from a gunshot wound in the back seat. We transition directly from the car chase and gun shot dog to a dog fighting pit being mopped for blood as the carcass of a losing animal is hauled out to the dumpster. The opening sets the mood for the rest of the movie. The only uplifting scenes seem to be crafted to give the characters enough humanity so we will be even more moved and disturbed as they are each systematically brought down.

I confess to clock watching as Amores passed the two-hour mark with no indication of an attempt to wrap the movie up. I am not sure whether I would recommend this movie or not. To someone who, like me, loves duality and cinematography, the movie has a lot to offer and is worth the watch. If your purpose in watching a movie is to be entertained, amused or have your spirits lifted I would suggest you find an alternative rental for the night.